A Little Push

Writers: Emma, Vix
Date Posted: 13th August 2007

Characters: K'sper, Demalia
Description: While picnicking, K'sper and Demalia overcome their shyness - with a little help from their dragons!
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 2 of Turn 4

}:Why did you want to get here so quickly?:{ Bentith asked the question in
amusement as he watched his rider stamping his feet and blowing on his hands
to warm them. }:You could have waited for a while.:{

**I didn't want to be late,** was K'sper's reply.

}:You could have waited and I would have told you when Tapheth was ready to
come here.:{

The brownrider stared at his dragon with a look of incredulity. "Why didn't
you suggest that?"

}:You did not ask.:{ A rumble of laughter accompanied the comment. }:They
come now.:{

The greenrider waved as Tapheth bugled a soft greeting to the brown. "I'm not
late am I?" called out her rider.

"Right on time!" With the agility of several turns of doing so, K'sper scaled
the side of the brown and started to strap himself in place. "Do you have a
particular place in mind? If not, I asked a friend and his dragon gave
Bentith a good visualization of a section of coast that should be suitable."

"I'll let you choose."

"Apparently this place is northeast of Coral Bay. It's quite a distance, but
much warmer than here and with our dragons travel isn't a problem." The
brownrider barely had finished uttering the words before Bentith was in
motion, stepping forward and then bouncing upward. Once aloft K'sper prompted
the brown to give Tapheth the location and then they winked out into the cold
of /between/.

"Oh K'sper! It's beautiful," were Demalia's first words as Tapheth circled
round to let her rider see the place. "It's lovely."

He had to admit that she was right. A strip of beach abutted grasslands
sloping steadily upwards toward the eastern mountains, the water clear
beneath gentle waves. And warm - warm enough that he was definitely ready to
shed his heavy jacket. He waved her to follow him as Bentith chose a wide
area of sand in which to land.

"We could even swim," she suggested as she slipped down, and began to undo
her riding straps.

"We could," he agreed, removing his jacket and setting it aside before
attending to Bentith. "I'd wager that this water is warmer than that at
Dragonsfall gets even in the warmest days of summer."

"I bet it is too," Demalia was taking her own heavy jacket off. "Tapheth
can't wait to go and find some sun." The jacket was placed on the ground,
along with the basket of food. "I think my mother did put some of those
pastries in here."

"I hope so!" He finished removing the brown's riding straps and then joined
her, placing the wineskin next to the food basket. "Bentith is pleased to be
able to spend time with Tapheth."

"I think she has a soft spot for him." Demalia watch as the green, now
divested of her straps, took herself along the beach to find a sunny spot.
"He'd be welcome next to her, she'll share the sun."

K'sper started to relay that to his dragon. **She says that you can. . .**

}:We can make our own arrangements.:{ The brown turned his head to glance at
his rider before lumbering to a spot beside the green.

The rider turned to Demalia with a sheepish expression. "Apparently I'm
supposed to leave him to his own pursuits for now."

"Which probably means that they'll be leaving us alone for a while."

"Yes." That realization made the brownrider feel a bit uncomfortable. Somehow
he never really did as well on his own. "Wine. . . shall we have some wine?"

"And something to eat, I'll get silly otherwise."

He chuckled. "And what would be wrong about getting silly?"

"I don't know, just too much wine and..."

He nodded, filling in his own ideas, some good, some perhaps not.
"Truthfully, I don't drink wine often." He pulled the stopper from the
wineskin. "Uh. . . did you bring any cups?"

"Let me see," she rummaged around in her bag. "Ah here we go, I've got one."

"One?" He laughed, shaking his head. "Then we'll either have to share or
drink from the wineskin."

"We could share?" she suggested tentatively.

When he had mentioned it, the idea had seemed simple, but with her suggestion
this seemed to take on something, some sort of meaning. His tone was now more
serious. "Alright, we'll share."

"And I think I may only have one plate as well," she said, head down as she
continued to rummage.

He peered into the basket as well. "Do you think your mother was hinting that
you shouldn't be with me?"

"I hope not," she said. "There's more than enough food for me in here." She
pulled it right open to show him. I think it's just a mistake."

Privately he wondered if it were a mistake or intentional - and whether in
judgment of him or in approval. "No matter. We can easily share." He took the
glass and poured wine into it. "You may have the first sip. I hope it's an
alright vintage - I know very little about wines."

"Me neither," she said as she took the glass from him. Sipping it, she took
her time deciding on it, "This is good.".

"It is? You're not just saying that to be nice?"

"You try it," she urged, handing him the glass. "I like that one."

He sipped thoughtfully. "It isn't as sweet as some that I've tasted and yet
not sour either. Not bad." He glanced toward the wineskin reading the
notation made upon it. "I'll have to remember this one."

"Too sweet and I don't like it. Maybe we could get some more like this from
the Vintner Hall sometime?"

"We could do that. Perhaps we could go to the Tavern."

"I don't think I've been to the Tavern there yet," she said with a smile. "I
heard they do food there as well."

"So I've heard. And music and dancing as well."

"They might have some new tunes that we could dance to."

"Probably. They've a few harpers assigned there as well as guests who
perform. It's almost like a Gather every day - though I don't think they have
the shopkeepers and goods available."

"Not that I can afford too much to spend," she said. Greenriders could come
by little sums here and there for delivering messages and transporting
people. On the whole, with their needs, and those of the weyrfolk, provided
for them by the Weyr there wasn't much need for marks. "I'd like to go to a
gather soon, I want a new dress for dancing."

K'sper laughed at this comment. "I don't really bother with fancy clothes. I
figure that as long as the Weyr is providing them, why bother? Besides that,
I'd probably end up choosing something ridiculous-looking."

"Depends who helps you choose I guess," was her reply.

"That's the problem - I usually try to choose on my own."

"Well perhaps I can help you there," she said. "So long as you could give me
an opinion on a dress."

"That sounds like a fair deal." He stretched his legs, careful not to get
sand into his boots. "Shall we eat or would you rather have a swim first?"

"Hmm," she said sitting and reaching to take her boots off. "Swimming first
I think, work up an appetite?"

"Not only that - it's downright hot here!" He removed his shirt and set it
aside before a moment of self-consciousness hit him.

}:Why be embarrassed?:{ Bentith's question held a lazy tone, his snout barely
visible peeking from the water near Tapheth. }:You take off your shirt to
swim or bathe me other times. And _she_ has seen you wearing much less.:{

The reminder of the flight that the two had shared did not really help right
now, the brownrider noted to himself as he pulled at a bootlace reluctant to
untangle.

Less bothered by that fact, Demalia was removing her boots, followed by her
belt. Living in a Weyr you learnt to get used to nudity for bathing or
swimming. "Last one in is a stupid old wherry!" she called as the rest of
her clothes followed.

Boots out of the way, K'sper moved to quickly shed his trousers and in his
haste ended up with them wrapped around his ankles, causing him to sprawl in
the sand. Now even more embarrassed, he freed himself and ran to the
shoreline in pursuit of her.

There was a splash and a gasp as the young woman entered the water. "Oof, not
quite as warm as I thought it would be," she commented.

Discovering this as she was saying it, K'sper took a moment to catch his
breath before replying. "No, it looked as if it would be much warmer. But
it's still nowhere near as cold as the weyrlake."

"Way too cold to swim there," especially since the first snows of winter had
begun to fall. "Perhaps we should make the most of it."

"That's for sure. Who knows when we'll have the opportunity to get away
again." Though the dragonriders were given free time from duties, care of
their dragons and equipment often took some of that time, as well as those
tasks that seemed to crop up so often.

Ducking under, Demalia managed toget herself wet enough to manage to swim
properly. She wasn't the best of swimmers, but the water was calm and it was
so much warmer than Dragonsfall. After a moment or two, she found her feet
and looked at the brownrider. "Are you coming for that swim or not?"

In waist-deep water, K'sper had been idly splashing water on his arms and
chest while looking at the beach and surrounding areas. He turned to her with
a smile. "I was just wondering what had encouraged settlement of some areas
and not others. This would be a truly beautiful place for someone to claim
and hold."

"It really would," she said ducking under one more time, emerging with
dripping wet hair. ~"Warm and sunny most of the turn atround. Who wouldn't
want to live near here."

"I suppose if it hadn't been for the plagues, someone would have made it to
this place and settled," he stated. With a final glance around, he dove into
the water, resurfacing about half a dragonlength beyond the greenrider.

"Is this a race brownrider?" she teased before setting off to catch him.

His arms moved in long strokes through the water. "That depends on how badly
you want to catch up."

"Is there a forfeit?"

He paused at her question. "Like what?"

"I don't know," well she did, but was too reluctant to say. "I bet Tapheth
and Bentith could think of something."

**Bentith. . .**

The brown dragon's laughter rumbled, a sound that could be felt as a
vibration through the water. }:Tapheth and I have quite a few suggestions for
what you two should do.:{ His head swung to regard the green. }:Isn't that
true, my lovely?:{

K'sper blushed as he turned to the young woman. "I've a feeling I know
Bentith's ideas." Of course, as he looked at Demalia, those ideas didn't
really seem so bad.

Tapheth merely looked at her rider. before turning her attention back to
Bentith. }:Of course, they like each other but won't say.:{

Bentith snorted loudly, then snaked his neck out to shove his rider closer to
the greenrider.

Finding himself close to Demalia, K'sper smiled down at her. "I. . . I'm glad
that we could do this. . . that we could come here together."

"Me too," she said shyly.

}:Just do it.:{ Bentith offered his suggestion in exasperation.

**Stay out of this.** The brownrider shoved his dragon from his thoughts as
he lowered his head, his lips touching against the greenrider's with just the
barest suggestion of a kiss.

He'd kissed her! She could barely believe it as she responded, bringing her
lips closer to his to make it into a real kiss.

And the brownrider responded, his arms going around her and his lips truly
meeting hers.

}:They are learning,:{ Bentith told Tapheth, his brown neck rubbing against
her green one. }:They are learning.:{

}:Indeed,:{ the green sounded amused as she looked to the brown. }:Sometimes
all they need is a little push:{

Last updated on the September 2nd 2007

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A Little Push